1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with an improved mobile cart for sheet-type or other items which is designed for maximum ease of access to the cart during use thereof. More particularly, it is concerned with such an improved cart which includes selectively operable brake mechanism for fixing the cart against translatory movement, while at the same time permitting pivoting of the cart about an upright axis for easy access to all portions of the cart from a single work station. In particularly preferred forms, the mechanism includes a shiftable, floor-engaging brake pad coupled to an elongated rod, and overtravel structure for allowing the pad to shift to a level below the level of engagement between the floor and cart-supporting casters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many newspapers and printing plants there is a need to move large quantities of printed material from place-to-place within the plant. For example, many newspapers now regularly include advertising inserts. Normally, these inserts are preprinted and must be fed to inserter mechanism by the plant personnel. In order to facilitate this task, it is a common practice to provide mobile carts or trucks which can be loaded with the preprinted inserts and wheeled to the inserter location. At this point the carts are simply unloaded and the inserts fed to the inserter.
While conventional carts or trucks are useful in this context, a number of problems remain. First, such carts tend to be rather large and bulky, and thus take up considerable floor space. Further, when fully loaded they are sometimes difficult to maneuver, particularly in restricted areas adjacent printing and inserter equipment. Also, during the unloading sequence, it is sometimes difficult to manipulate these carts or trucks so that easy access is provided to all of the sheet material thereon from a single work location adjacent an inserter. Finally, in the event that the floor surface in the plant is irregular, it sometimes occurs that the carts tend to roll away from the worker under the influence of gravity. Obviously, all of the above factors are undesirable from the standpoint of maximum efficiency.